DA turnovers delay meth case

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GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado - Newly elected 9th District Attorney Sherry Caloia won't be sworn into office until Jan. 8, but her name already came up in court this week.

In the case against accused methamphetamine dealer Heidi Ann Bascom, 40, of Rifle, Deputy District Attorney Andrea Bryan asked that the 9th DA's office be withdrawn from the case because Caloia has represented Bascom in a different, unrelated matter.

Caloia was in private practice before ousting DA Martin Beeson in the Nov. 6 general election.

Caloia told the Post Independent on Thursday that she could not discuss the case in which she represented Bascom, due to confidentiality rules.

Bascom is facing charges in two cases.

In one case, she is accused of selling meth to an undercover agent of the Two Rivers Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT) on Sept. 12, 2011.

The deal allegedly took place at the Rifle residence of another accused drug dealer, Vaughn Gonzales, 43, a co-defendant in the court's records.

In the other case against Bascom, she is accused of possession of another form of speed, dextroamphetamine.

The drug allegedly was found during a TRIDENT search of Bascom and Gonzales' home in October.

District Judge Denise Lynch accepted the DA's withdrawal from the case, and agreed to appoint a special prosecutor.

Bryan told the judge that the usual source of special prosecutors for 9th District cases is the neighboring 5th Judicial District, which encompasses Eagle, Clear Creek, Lake and Summit counties.

But in the wake of the Nov. 6 general election, which also brought a new DA into office in the 5th District, Bryan said it may be a while before a special prosecutor can be appointed.

The judge therefore continued Bascom's two cases to Feb. 21 to allow more time to find a replacement attorney.

In other action, Judge Lynch issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Brenda Caywood, a former employee of the Garfield County Clerk and Recorder's Office charged with stealing cash from office receipts in 2010 and 2011.

Caywood, 52, was expected to appear in court on Thursday, but did not.

Public Defender Sara Steele, who represents Caywood, told the judge she was not sure why the defendant was not present, adding that Caywood is suffering from health problems that may have prevented her appearance in court.

Steele asked that a bench warrant be delayed until the facts could be determined.

Lynch ordered a bench warrant drawn up, carrying a bond of $2,500, but agreed to delay issuing it until 9 a.m. this morning to give Steele time to find Caywood and learn what had happened.